ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Purchases 12,925 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 12,925 shares during the quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,217,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Thompson Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 2,250.0% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,700.0% during the second quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 144 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 104.3% during the first quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 188 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE APD opened at $326.71 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $287.49 and its 200-day moving average is $267.44. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $328.72. The firm has a market cap of $72.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.16. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on APD. Barclays upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Mizuho upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Vertical Research upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Evercore ISI upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.24.

About Air Products and Chemicals

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals.